Check out some of the Past Events that Mad Studies Hub have done!
BIPOC Accessibility in the Post-Secondary Sector: A Critical Discussion
Join Navi Dhanota and other guest speakers for a conversation about the challenges of accessible accommodations in the post-secondary sector and critically discuss the relevant research and lived experiences in this sector. This event is free of charge and open to the public.
- Date: January 26th , 2026
- Time: 1 PM – 2:30 PM
- Format: Virtual
Please see the event recording here.
Additional information can be found here.
Disabling Relations: Wounded Bodyminds and Transnational Praxis Book Launch
Come and join us at the launch of Sona Kazemi’s new book titled Disabling Relations: Wounded Bodyminds and Transnational Praxis. In her book, Dr. Kazemi highlights the live experiences of the disabled dissidents and survivors of the Islamic regime in the aftermath of the 1979 revolution in Iran. Through an interactive presentation and Q&A session, Dr. Kazemi will describe the extensive research and lived experiences that merge in her manuscript, expanding on how disable bodyminds are produced and sustained through systemic violence and theocratic social relations. This event is free of charge and open to the public.
This is a free, hybrid event, but registration is required. If attending in person, please register on Eventbrite by getting a free ticket as space is limited for in person attendees. However, if you would like to attend virtually, please register in advance for the Zoom meeting.
- Date: January 22nd, 2026
- Time: 12- 1 PM
- Format: Hyrbid
- Location: TBA
- Register Here: TBA
Virtual Re-launch of Critical Disabilities Discourse Journal
We’re excited to invite you to the online re-launch of the Critical Disabilities Discourse Journal. Come ready to learn about the publishing process, steps to participate and next editions of CDDJ and Health Journals at YorkU. Don't miss this change to connect with a vibrant community and be part of meaningful conversations around critical disability studies! This event is free of charge and open to the public.
Date: January 16th, 2026
Time: 1 PM – 2:30 PM
Format: Virtual
Location: Online via Zoom
Panel: Rejecting the Romance of Police Reform
Drawing from years of scholarship, activism, and experience, this panel challenges the belief that policing can be reformed to deliver justice or safety. It reveals how reform often expands criminalization, colonialism, and state violence—undermining Black, Indigenous, and migrant justice movements. Centering abolitionist and transformative frameworks, and stories of alternatives to policing. The panel calls for rejecting carceral and colonial logics and envisioning collective paths toward real safety and justice beyond policing.
Date: Oct 28, 2025 (Tue)
Time: 6-8:45pm
6-7 p.m. (Community engagement) Ross S801
7-8:45 p.m. (Panel discussion) Ross S802
Location: Ross Building S802, York University
Opening Remarks: Dr. Ruth Green
Speakers: Audrey Huntley, Chanelle Gallant, Dr. Elene Lam, Dr. Robyn Mayard, Terri Monture
Learn more about the event and our speakers: For more information
Books Celebration:
Policing Black Lives (Revised & Expanded Edition) by Robyn Maynard
Not Your Rescue Project: Migrant Sex Workers Fighting for Justice by Chanelle Gallant and Elene Lam
Abolish Social Work (As We Know It) edited by Craig Fortier, Edward Hon-Sing Wong, and MJ Boryga
Co-sponsors:
York University
· Center for Feminist Research
· Critical Disability Studies
· Critical Trafficking and Sex Work Studies
· Harriet Tubman Institute
· Mad Studies Hub
· School of Social Work
· Social Work Association of Graduate Studies
· York Centre for Asian Research
Butterfly (Asian and Migrant Sex Workers Support Network)
HIV Legal Network
No More Silence
The Toronto Art Therapy Institute
Unfinished: Screening and Panel
Date: 23rd October 2025
Time: 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm
Location: Nat Taylor Cinema, 102 Campus Walk, North York ON M7A 2C5, Canada
Register: Tickets available on Eventbrite
Panelists:
- Shabnam Sukhdev, Filmmaker, PhD Candidate, York University
- Ishaa Vinod Chopra, RECE, Author, Dancer, Founder- Finding Order in Disorder NGO
- Dr. Geoffrey Reaume, Critical Disability Studies, York University
- Tereza Barta, Associate Professor, Cinema & Media Arts, York University
- Dr. Jan DeFehr, Faculty of Education, University of Winnipeg
Moderator:
- Marina Morrow, Professor, York University
About:
Join the Mad Studies Hub to view filmmaker Shabnam Sukhdev’s film “Unfinished” – a powerful story about a mother and daughter struggling to find meaning and connection through mental illness. Following the film panelists will engage in a discussion about mad representations in film, lived experience and the role of family members in recovery. Describing the film, Sukhdev says, “Unfinished remains my attempt at completing an unfinished conversation with my daughter to examine the circumstances of her diagnosis and our constant struggle with recovery and rehabilitation.”
Check out the trailer here
The screening will be followed by a roundtable discussion with our invited panelists focused on "Conversations on mental health, madness, and bridging lived experience"
Accessibility:
For access inquiries, please contact: mmmorrow@yorku.ca
Resisting Sanism in the University: Past, Present and Future
On September 24, 2025, we hosted the event Resisting Sanism in the University: Past, Present and Future featuring a panel discussion with Navi Dhanota, Accessibility Consultant Richard Douglass-Chin, Associate Professor, University of Windsor Danielle Landry, Research Associate, Toronto Metropolitan University Soumyaa Subramanium, MPH, University of Toronto. The panel discussion was based on research led by scholars affiliated with U of T, Carleton, University of Windsor and the Empowerment Council.
Please see the entire event's video here.
Critical Perspectives on Coercive Practices in Mental Health
On April 9th, 2025 the Mad Studies Hub presented a panel presentation, Critical Perspectives on Coercive Practices in Mental Health. The panel featured the following speakers:
Marina Morrow, PhD York University Canada (MSH Director) Lived Experiences of Coercive Practices in Mental Health: Examples from Canada, Kenya & Australia.
Lisa Brophy, PhD La Trobe University Australia (Visiting Scholar, MSH) What We are Learning about the Use of Community Treatment Orders in Australia.
Nev Jones, PhD, University of Pittsburgh, USA (Guest, MSH) Adaptive Expectations, Internalized Oppression &Coercion: Learning from Qualitative Research on Inpatient & Outpatient Commitment in the United States.
Open Dialogue: Imagining the future of Mad Studies among students
On May 1st the Mad Studies Hub hosted a graduate student organized and led event, Open Dialogue: Imagining the future of Mad Studies among Students.
The event included panelists:
Walter Rafael Villanueva, PhD candidate Department of English, University of Toronto
Sarah Bergman, PhD student Critical Disability Studies, York University
Marcy Vuong, Master’s student Critical Disability Studies, York University
Majd H. Sayed, Master’s student Interdisciplinary Studies, York University
Sarah Porter, PhD candidate School of Social Work, University of Washington
The event resulted supported students to come together to share research and experience related to Mad Studies and to begin forming a student cluster at the MSH!
MAD TEACH-IN
On March 14th, 2025, The Mad Studies Hub co-sponsored (with Madness Canada and the Robarts Centre for Canadian Studies) MAD TEACH-IN: Exploring Mad Studies, Art, and Lived Experience. This engaging webinar featured presentations from David Reville, Kiran Shoker, and Noah Reid, with moderation by Adam Davies and facilitation by Kira Smith. Participants shared their insights through memoir, poetry, and lived experiences.
